


Mince Pie

by WinglessCrows



Series: Through the Eyes of a Cook [32]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-04
Updated: 2018-07-04
Packaged: 2019-05-27 07:50:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15020024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinglessCrows/pseuds/WinglessCrows
Summary: Sometimes, Luffy isn't smiling





	Mince Pie

Luffy has three main traits. The first one is his strawhat he wears so proudly. It is the symbol on his jolly roger which they all sail under, it is the name their enemies shout and it is the promise he keeps to an old friend. The second is the scar under his left eye. Sanji doesn't know its story and origin, but knowing Luffy it probably holds certain significance, and though Sanji doesn't like that Luffy is marked with injuries, the scar is oddly humanizing. The third trait of Luffy's is his smile. Sanji cannot count the many times his captain's smile has saved someone, be it himself, a crew mate or even an enemy. The smile on Luffy's face, Sanji has found, is a reason to live, and also something he would die for... Not that Luffy would ever let him. Zoro once tried to die for him and failed, and whether that was due to Zoro's stubborn nature, his love for their captain or maybe the magic of the strawhat wearing boy himself, Sanji would never know.

And while the strawhat would always sit on Luffy's raven head and the scar would always taint his olive skin, there were times where the smile would fade or be replaced by what Luffy thought was a fine substitute, but Sanji knew fake smiles as well as his kitchen. Luffy couldn't lie. Everyone knew that, and while Luffy's fake smile was close to being a perfect lie, his eyes gave him away. A genuine smile on Luffy's face was followed by bright eyes that did nothing to hide his thoughts and heart's desire, but a fake smile, while being just as wide and ridiculous, was accompanied by a cloudy gaze. It wasn't often that Sanji would catch Luffy faking his happiness, it had only happened a couple of times, and Sanji had never bothered to confront him about it, as it would never last long. Sanji understood very well that there were days where you just felt like actual shit even if nothing in particular had happened, and the thing was, when Luffy was sad or angry, he would show those emotions because there would always be a reason behind it. But some days the sadness had no home and being the captain, he would never allow himself to show any signs of unhappiness when there was nothing to be unhappy about.

It wasn't like Sanji was the only one to have noticed this about their captain. It went without saying that Zoro knew everything there was to know about Luffy, and Usopp, being the liar of the ship, could always tell when Luffy wasn't being genuine, and they all had their own ways of dealing with it. Sanji always took full advantage of his position as the cook. A bad day for Luffy always started off with the captain coming to the kitchen early, even earlier than Brook who would usually wake everyone up with a comforting tune, and he would take a seat by the counter, rest his head in his arms which would be spread on the surface and claim to be tired, but not able to sleep. Sanji would then give him a big mug filled with hot chocolate topped with whipped cream and marshmallows. It wasn't often that Sanji got to spoil Luffy in this way since the captain always got the food he wanted, but Luffy never requested anything when he was feeling down, so Sanji was free to care for him in his own special way. Come breakfast and Luffy's appetite would not be on its usual level, so Sanji would give him something light that would maintain the illusion of Luffy eating as much as usual, because Sanji respected Luffy's decision of not bothering his crew with a bad day. He would start worrying if the bright smile didn't return by the next day though, as these moods of Luffy's only lasted for so long before he went back to being his usual happy-go-lucky self.

During the day Sanji would go out of his way to serve drinks to the crew more often than usual. It was not unlike Sanji to go around with snacks and drinks, but usually one could come to the kitchen if they needed anything. But unlike Sanji who would actually eat more when he was feeling down, Luffy always ate less, and while that was a good thing for their pantry, it was a bad thing for Luffy's health. The first time Sanji had experienced Luffy being down, it had been a hot day and the captain had almost collapsed from dehydration. This had been before Chopper had joined and it was Sanji and Nami who served as the doctors. Nami because she had basic medical knowledge, and Sanji because he understood how the body worked and how to prevent minor conditions such as dehydrating. From that day Sanji would always come to Luffy, where ever he may be, and make sure to keep him healthy and hydrated.

Though Sanji could never know the reason behind Luffy's sadness or if it even had a reason, Sanji had a sure fire way of lifting Luffy's spirits, if even just a little. It was a trick which Sanji alone knew of and only he could pull it off. It was a subtle gesture, so subtle that not even the other East Blue natives seemed to have caught on, but when dinner came and Zoro entered the kitchen with Luffy in tow, Sanji would be waiting with food that reminded Luffy of home. It would be simple meat dishes that went well with white rice. The spices would be sharp, but not burning hot, and the textures would be tender. The desserts which followed would be fruit based and sweet, but also simple in style so that it would hopefully look like something Luffy could have eaten as a kid. As a last act Sanji would serve Luffy a tea that would hopefully calm his mind and help him sleep, so that he could wake up on the next day and leave the sadness behind him. So far it had always worked.

Some might blame Sanji for not doing more to cheer up their downed captain, but Sanji knew that hovering too much around Luffy would do more damage than it would do good, and it wasn't like he was the only one to care for Luffy in his times of need.

Zoro would always go out of his way to either make Luffy nap with him or he would make sure to 'nap' in a place where Luffy would always be within sight. If fate was against them and Luffy happened to be on watch on a bad day, Zoro would always sneak out of the men's quarters to either keep Luffy company or take his watch for him. Whatever he did neither him nor Luffy would come back until it was time for breakfast and Luffy would always look happy and well rested, so Zoro was doing his job.

And while both Zoro and Sanji would spoil Luffy rotten and show their affection with small gestures and kind smiles, Usopp would act as the distraction, and take the crew's eyes off of their captain who would always be the centre of attention. Usopp had different ways to deal with the different crew members, and often it would only be necessary to distract one or two people, as everyone were usually busy with their duties. With Nami, Usopp would usually discuss battle tactics and fighting potential, since he was in charge of her clima tact. He would claim it to be time for an evaluation and ask if Nami wanted anything new or if something bothered her about her weapon. With both Chopper and Brook he would tell stories. Stories he had made up and stories about their past adventures and he would do it all while helping out another crew mate. This would usually be Sanji, since he would be focused on helping Luffy. Usopp would always volunteer to do the dishes or peel potatoes, anything really, because the boy had a heart of gold. With Robin he would either recommend a book or exchange artwork. Since Usopp was the more talented artist of the two, he would often offer to redraw some of her sketches to which she gladly accepted. Usopp had an eye for detail, and with Robin's messy sketches and her perfect memory they could always recreate exactly what Robin had seen. Usopp and Franky were gadget nerds and Usopp never had any trouble getting Franky in a working mood. Sometimes Usopp wanted to build a new weapon, or upgrade an old one, and sometimes he wanted to make useful gadgets, like the cooling device they had made for Sanji when he had been ill, or the firework display they had made for Chopper on his birthday.

Sanji wasn't sure whether or not the other crew members had caught on to any of these things, but as long as Luffy would always get back on his feet after a day it was all fine. It didn't matter if the crew pretended not to know and let Luffy be, or if they simply fell for his forced smile, in the end it all worked out, and if the day should ever come where Luffy had more than just a bad day, they would all be sure to be there for him just as he was always there for them. Thankfully that day had not yet come, and hopefully it never would.

However such thinking was ignorant and when Luffy one day came down for breakfast early and Sanji served him the hot chocolate, one look on the captain's face told Sanji that something was awfully wrong. There were signs of dried tears in his puffy and slightly wet eyes, and Luffy didn't even bother trying to look happy. He took his first sip of the chocolate and gave Sanji a little smile to tell him that it was good, but Sanji had stopped dead in his tracks and was torn between letting Luffy deal with this by himself and just give the poor boy a hug. In the end he never got to make a decision, as Zoro strolled through the door and, just as Sanji, immediately noticed that something was wrong. None of them spoke a word, but both Sanji and Luffy looked to Zoro who, with no hesitation, sat down beside Luffy and pulled him close. With Luffy safe by Zoro's side Sanji could once again go back to his morning duties, but he made sure to pour Zoro a drink first (no alcohol of course). The silence ended with the sound of Brook's violin. It was another new song, but Sanji didn't complain. The tune was comforting and Luffy seemed slightly more content than when he had first made his way to the kitchen. The beginning of the morning song was also a signal to the person on watch being relieved of their duties, and since Robin was very likely to be engrossed in a book, Sanji took the time to make her a cup of coffee and made his way to the crow's nest.

Sanji found her exactly where he had expected to find her, by the window furthest from the entrance and closest to the rising sun. She had a purple blanket loosely wrapped around her shoulders, her bare feet not covered and hanging over the edge of the couch. She wore her reading glasses, and had her gaze focused on the almost finished book, but she did take the time to give Sanji a smile when he entered, before going back to the book. He put the tray with coffee and a light snack close to her, and left quietly to not disturb her reading any further, but without looking up from her book Robin got Sanji's attention.

"It's such a nice day. It would be a waste not to take advantage of it."

Sanji's gaze lingered at her for a short while, but understood the message. When you had eyes and ears everywhere it was hard for people to keep secrets from you. Robin knew.

So Sanji prepared to have breakfast served on deck where everything would undoubtedly get a bit more messy and chaotic, and hopefully let Luffy sit in silence without anyone being any wiser. At some point Usopp had come to help him carry plates and cups outside, and Sanji thought that he might as well ask about Luffy, but he found the words stuck in his throat. Thankfully Usopp answered his unspoken question anyway.

"He had a nightmare... I think. When I woke up I could hear him breathe. He was trying to be quiet, but..." He trailed off and set down the last plate, "I don't know what caused it, but when Zoro followed him out, I figured that I wouldn't push him by asking questions..."

Usopp was struggling too. Sanji could see it in his face, hear it in voice, but Sanji could do nothing for him, after all, he felt the same way. It was no longer enough to just serve him good food and allow him to be alone, it was no longer an option to pretend that all was well, but what could they do? Both Sanji and Usopp were afraid to do anything to make it worse, because while Luffy's smile was to die for, his tears were like hell fire. When the rest of the strawhats followed they both put on their smiles and went back to pretending that all was indeed well, but once again, it seemed like people were catching on. They all knew that something was wrong.

The day went by slowly, and Sanji didn't see Luffy for the most of it. Zoro or Usopp would come once in a while to take food and water for their captain, so that gave Sanji zero excuses to go to Luffy himself. As Sanji readied himself to go to bed he felt frustrated, and while he usually folded his clothes neatly after having taken them off this evening he found himself simply throwing his clothes which such strength that had it been anything but soft fabric something would have broken. But simply throwing his clothes around was not enough to put out his burning flame, and after having stared at the ceiling for a few minutes, Sanji knew he would not get any sleep. He then sat up straight, but he didn't actually know what to do from there, so he stayed. He was the only one in the men's quarters at the moment, which was very common. Sanji was always the first one up and also the first one to go to bed, so being alone in the silent room was nothing knew, but somehow Sanji felt empty when looking at the bunk bed beside him. At the moment there were four bunk beds in the men's quarters. Closest to the door was the one Sanji slept in. He was the only one who didn't share a bunk with someone else, but Sanji always smiled to himself when he thought about the prospect of Jinbe joining the crew. For a brief period of time, the other bed had been occupied by Trafalgar Law, but after the pirate captain had reunited with his actual crew he had no longer had use of it. Next to him was the bunk bed used by Luffy and Zoro. Luffy was on the top one and Zoro had the bottom one, which was incidentally why Sanji slept in the top bunk despite him not sharing with anyone. He just didn't want to wake up to Zoro's face every morning, and while Luffy made some really stupid faces while sleeping, he sometimes made some sweet ones too. Then came the bunk shared by Chopper and Usopp. Of course Usopp was on top as he and Luffy would sometimes talk for hours and hours before going to sleep. In the beginning Sanji had found it annoying, but as time flew by, their voices in the night had become a sweet lullaby. The last bed was occupied by Brook and Franky. It had been upgraded in size after their two years apart, since Franky's body had gotten so big, and Brook was so damn tall to begin with, it was a perfect fit. Sanji usually had nothing against being alone in the room, but right now it felt wrong. It felt like he should be doing something to comfort Luffy, to ease his pain and take away his sadness, but he didn't know what to do, and that was so frustrating.

Sanji was starting feel hot, whether that was due to the warm night or his current state of mind he would never know, but he dealt with it and he tied his hair back in a ponytail. It was a rare occurrence for Sanji not to be covering up both his eyebrows, but right now he didn't care, his hair was bothering him and was starting to stick to his sweaty face, so it had to go. He buried his face in his knees and let his thoughts roam free. What could possibly have set Luffy off? Nothing particular had happened lately, nothing that would affect the crew emotionally at least. They had had a couple of average fights with some marine captains and some rookie pirates, but no one important. Today wasn't an anniversary for anything that Sanji knew of. Ace's death had had been last month, and his birthday was still a few weeks off. The anniversary of their separation was also the anniversary of their reunion. Sanji could think of nothing related to Luffy's past which could affect him so badly, but Sanji couldn't claim to know everything about their secretive captain. But then again, Luffy was not a person to get tied up in the past. While his past certainly defined him and shaped him as a person, it did not hold him back. A strength which Sanji admired and wished he had as well. But what was actually going on with Luffy? Sanji honestly couldn't figure it out.

After having thought so hard his brain started to get fuzzy, Sanji decided to go to the kitchen and get a cup of tea. He was slightly surprised to find the place completely empty, but it wasn't like he had any particular desire to see anyone. Maybe with the exception of Luffy whom Sanji really wanted to just hug tightly until his tears had magically disappeared. The sound of a door opening suddenly reached Sanji's ears and he was slightly disappointed to see that it was Zoro who had entered, yet he couldn't really find it in him to care all that much.

"Shouldn't you be getting your beauty sleep, princess?" Zoro said mockingly, but there was no real power behind the insult which would usually have Sanji all fired up. As much as he hated Zoro referring to him as princess, or even worse, as prince, he just didn't care right now. And then a thought struck him. Zoro would know what was tearing at Luffy's heart. Sanji looked intensely at Zoro for a bit trying to find the right words, but a calm conversation with Zoro was usually very hard to come by, so Sanji didn't know how to ask without provoking him.

"He's fine," Zoro said suddenly, and Sanji looked at him dumbfounded, "He just cares too much."

And somehow, Sanji was content with that answer. Zoro had no reason to lie, and Sanji found that even with Zoro's foulest insult, he never lied when it came to vital information. If he wanted to keep something a secret, he just didn't say anything. And Sanji found that his shoulders relaxed and he let go of a breath he didn't know he had been holding, and sleepiness suddenly hit him like a wave, and he was afraid that he might just fall asleep right then and there.

So while Sanji never figured out exactly what had had Luffy crying and depressed, he knew that somehow Zoro had taken care of it, and honestly, Sanji was fine with that, because even if he couldn't save Luffy from himself, at least someone else could, and if Sanji had learned anything from his time in the strawhat crew, it was that it was impossible to do everything by yourself.

**Author's Note:**

> Can anyone guess the meaning of the title?


End file.
